pretend: [14] To pretend something is etymologically to ‘hold it out’ – as an excuse, or as something it is not. The word comes from Latin praetendere, a compound verb formed from the prefix prae- ‘before’ and tendere ‘stretch’ (source of English tend, tense, etc). => extend, tend, tense
pretend (v.)
late 14c., "to profess, assert, maintain" (a claim, etc.), "to direct (one's) efforts," from Old French pretendre "to lay claim," from Latin praetendere "stretch in front, put forward, allege," from prae "before" (see pre-) + tendere "to stretch," from PIE root *ten- "to stretch" (see tend).
Main modern sense of "feign, put forward a false claim" is recorded from c. 1400; the older sense of simply "to claim" is behind the string of royal pretenders (1690s) in English history. Meaning "to play, make believe" is recorded from 1865. In 17c. pretend also could mean "make a suit of marriage for," from a sense in French. Related: Pretended; pretending.
pretend (n.)
"fact of pretending," 1888, from children's talk, from pretend (v.). Earlier in same sense was verbal noun pretending (1640s).
实用例句
1. The children pretend to be different animals dancing to the music.
孩子们扮成不同的动物，随着音乐起舞。
来自柯林斯例句
2. We won't pretend we savour the prospect of a month in prison.
我们不会装作我们满心盼望着在监狱中度过一个月。
来自柯林斯例句
3. It would be idle to pretend the system is perfect.
假装系统完美无疵是徒劳的。
来自柯林斯例句
4. Within this lecture I cannot pretend to deal adequately with dreams.
在这一次讲座中，我不敢自诩能对梦境作透彻的分析。
来自柯林斯例句
5. I pretend that things are really okay when they're not.
